1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telecommunications network and, in particular, to the provision of a mediation service control point (SCP) serving a plurality of individual SCPs and Service Switching Points (SSPs) within an Intelligent Network (IN) based telecommunications network.
2. Description of Related Art
Within a typical telecommunications network, each subscriber is associated with a particular serving telecommunications node. Features, services, subscriber data, operation and maintenance associated with and subscribed to by the subscriber are then provided by the serving telecommunications provider. In order to identify and to route incoming signals to an appropriate telecommunications node, each subscriber is required to be associated with only one telecommunications node. For example, such a one-to-one relationship is maintained by assigning a series of directory numbers, such as a NPA-NXX-XXXX where the NPA is the area code and the NXX is the exchange identification code, to each telecommunications node. A particular one of the pre-assigned directory numbers is then correlated with a particular subscriber associated thereto. Since each NPA-NXX uniquely identifies a serving telecommunications node, the connecting telecommunications network, such as an Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) network, is able to identify and to route a signal from a first node to a second node identified by the specified directory number.
Within an Intelligent Network (IN) based telecommunications network, each IN subscriber is associated with a particular Service Control Point (SCP). In order to maintain the above described one-to-one relationship between a particular subscriber and a serving telecommunications node, each IN subscriber is similarly restricted to only one SCP and one directory number associated therewith. In case another privately operated or third party vendor SCP wishes to provide additional IN service to an existing IN customer, because of such a restriction, the existing subscription must be removed from the existing SCP and new subscription data must be added to the new SCP. Furthermore, because each SCP is also assigned with a pre-allocated series of NPA-NXX numbers, by switching from a first SCP to a second SCP, the IN subscriber needs to be assigned with a different directory number. Making such a change requires the subscriber to inconveniently contact and inform all friends, associates and the like of the new directory number. Furthermore, in order for the new SCP service provider to lure an IN subscriber having a subscription agreement with an existing SCP service provider, the new SCP must support all existing services and features currently being provided by the existing SCP. Otherwise, subscribers who are satisfied with their existing services will not purchase the services of the new SCP service provider. Consequently, even if a new SCP only wishes to introduce or provide a single IN service, the new SCP service provider is forced to further provide existing IN services currently being provided by an existing SCP service provider. Moreover, in case a first SCP provides a first group of IN services, and a second SCP provides a second group of IN services, an IN subscriber is forced to evaluate and to choose one or the other SCP service provider, but not both.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism to enable a telecommunications subscriber to be associated with and be serviced by a plurality of telecommunications nodes.